


Day 098

by Josh_the_Bard



Series: A Year in Kirkwall [98]
Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age II
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-08
Updated: 2020-04-08
Packaged: 2021-03-02 03:08:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 750
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23538127
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Josh_the_Bard/pseuds/Josh_the_Bard
Series: A Year in Kirkwall [98]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1589257
Kudos: 2





	Day 098

Meredith read over the report on the new mage Keran brought in the day before. It seemed like a best-case-scenario. The family had isolated the child and, as a result, he had done no more damage to the surrounding area. His phylactery was locked in the vault and Alain was running him through orientation today to get the boy settled and calmed down.

Meredith wished more mages would follow Alain’s example. He was with the other Starkhaven mages when they escaped but unlike his fellows, he had surrendered to the first templar he saw. The boy claimed he hadn’t wanted escape, that he was swept along with the others, and Meredith was inclined to believe him. It was rare to find a mage who accepted the restrictions of the circle with such… comprehension.

The knock that sounded from her door was so frantic that Meredith had a moment of panic. The last time someone had knocked like that, it was to tell her that one of the mages had become an abomination. She grabbed her sword, Maddox’s lyrium blade was not yet ready, and called for the knocker to come in. The young templar stopped short when he saw her.

“I’m sorry Knight Commander,” he stammered. “I didn’t mean to alarm you-”

“Spit it out boy,” she snapped. 

“There is a seeker here to see you.”

Meredith’s blood ran cold. The lowliest seeker outranked the highest templar... in theory. They were only dispatched when the Divine needed to pass judgment over a templar. Meredith had a few ideas of why she might have sent one, none of them good. The most obvious was that this seeker was there to investigate the way she ran her circle. Meredith had heard that the new Divine was more sympathetic to mages then the last, and perhaps some of the mages had managed to petition her. That was fine, Meredith had good reason to act as she did and could prove it with the most basic tour to the streets of Kirkwall.

Meredith did not regret any of the mesures she had put in place, she would stand by them and her templars who risked their lives daily to protect the people if Kirkwall form the dangers of magic. 

However, it was also possible that this was about the Qunari attack. The first time in hundreds of years that an Andrastian city had been attacked by heretics in earnest, and the Viscound had been killed. That could certainly be seen as a failure of her duties.

Then there was the matter of Sir. Aulrik. His petition to perform the right of tranquility on every mage in Thedas had been rejected, but it had caused quite a stir just by existing. Then there was the matter of his mysterious death. 

It did not bode well that Meredith couldn’t immediately tell whether the seeker was here because he thought she did her job too diligently or not diligently enough. Meredith almost did a double take when she realized the other templar was still in her office.

“Knight Commander?” he said, shifting his weight from foot to foot.

“Bring this seeker to me,” she said. The templar snapped to attention and departed. Meredith closed the door behind him and paced her office restlessly. She needed a plan, a way to show the seeker that she was still in control of her city, that she was necessary and without her that Kirkwall would not survive.

By the time the knock came, she was ready.

“You must be the seeker,” she said, opening the door herself. She gestured for the man to come in. 

“I am Seeker Perro de Malmo,” he said with a heavy Orlesian accent. “I am here under orders from the Divine to evaluate the measure you have put in place in the Kirkwall circle. Over the next few days I will observe your operations and report back. I am to be given freedom to roam around the circle as I deem necessary.”

The phrase ‘I am to be given,’ rather thAn ‘I will require,’ or ‘I request’ grated on Meredith’s pride. For now, she swallowed it and put on a smile. 

“Of course,” Meredith replied. This was perfect. Mage activity was never low in Kirkwall, but there had been many magical incidents in recent weeks and she doubted it would stop now. If this seeker wanted to see what it was like in Kirkwall Meredith would make sure he got exactly what he came for.


End file.
